The best in the league: Pirates receive league honors

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The Nisqually League recently announced its All-League teams for the girls’ soccer season and included four Vashon Pirates.

Taking top honors was senior Grace Riggs, who was named Defensive Most Valuable Player in the League.

Riggs has played soccer since she was in kindergarten, when she joined the Vashon Island Soccer Club. She remained with the club for eight years before trying out for the West Seattle and Burien-based Highline PFC and has played with them for the last four years — as well playing for Vashon High School.

Since her earliest soccer days, Riggs has played defense. She said she believes she was placed there initially because she is tall, but is fond of her role on the field.

“I like defense more than offense,” she said. “It is more stressful, but more interesting, at least for me.”

Riggs said she was expecting a defender on the Cascade Christian team to earn the MVP honor because that team had very few goals scored against them. That made the news she had been selected especially nice.

“It felt really good actually,” she said. “I was happily surprised.”

Riggs is planning on attending college next year and majoring in biology with a pre-med focus and expects she may play the game, but likely only in a club or intramural setting.

“I want to focus on school, not sports,” she said.

Additional honors went to senior Madison Browne, who was the team captain this year and was named to the first team. Freshman Sydnee Adams and junior Lizzy Sutherland were named to the second team.

The Pirates went to the state competition this year, but were defeated in their first game by a talented King’s High School team.